Analysis of nuclear transmutations observed in D- and H-loaded Pd films

New experiments of transmutation of elements in Pd films loaded with deuterium and hydrogen and processed by an excimer laser have been performed. The films were deposited on pure Si wafers having rough and smooth surfaces. The samples were put into inox chambers filled with D2 or H2 at a total pressure up to 6 bar. Some samples were irradiated by an excimer laser after the loading process. At the end, the samples were analyzed by a scanning electron microscope and an electron probe microanalyzer. The film morphology was strongly modified for the formation of many cracks. Many of them intersected mutually, often with the presence of grains in the middle. The grains contained the products of element transmutation independently of the loading gas. The grain dimensions and their density were higher in the films processed with the laser than in those processed without laser action. Films on rough substrates also presented a rough surface and a very low formation of cracks, but it was not possible to detect other elements apart from Pd or Si. The samples loaded with hydrogen showed a higher concentration of cracks and of grains as well as of transmutation products.